The Bottom Line
Pros
- Gruesome carnage
- Tension-packed
- Good acting
- Well-directed
Cons
- Derivative storyline
- Annoying characters
Description
- Starring Nadia Fares, Robert Taylor, David Lyons, Matthew Wilkinson, John Brumpton
- Directed by Jamie Blanks
- Rated NR
- DVD Release Date: February 5, 2008
Guide Review - 'Storm Warning' DVD Review
The Movie
One of the few demographics deemed culturally acceptable to demonize is the poor, uneducated rural dweller -- from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1974 to Wrong Turn in 2003. Wolf Creek put an Australian twist on rural horror in 2005 and became a big hit Down Under, greenlighting the similarly-themed Storm Warning.
The plot is Rural Horror 101: well-to-do couple gets stranded in isolated country and encounters backwoods sadists who torture said couple. Rinse, repeat. All that changes in each film is the setting (here, an island) and the bad guys (a father and two abused sons). The yuppie victims are indistinguishable from any typical horror protagonists, including the requisite "stupidity gene" that causes them to be overly brave getting into their predicament and overly cowardly getting out.
Despite its issues, Storm Warning benefits from the able hands of two Aussie horror vets: director Jamie Blanks (Urban Legend, Valentine) and writer Everett DeRoche (Long Weekend, Road Games, Razorback). Blanks uses the gorgeous Australian coastal scenery to make us understand why people would want to venture into the middle of nowhere, while DeRoche adds tweaks to a familiar plot -- including a marijuana stash that sheds light on why the hillbillies would be so protective. You have to wonder, though, if the writer didn't construct the movie just for one scene in particular, an especially nasty (and alternately fascinating) bit of revenge from the film's heroine.
In the end, the most interesting aspect of Storm Warning is the fact that it was written 30 years ago, which, had it been filmed back then, would have made it a groundbreaking contemporary of The Hills Have Eyes instead of a derivative, if competent, also-ran.
The DVD
The special features are skimpy, limited to impressive commentary from no less than eight people.
Movie: B-
DVD: C-
